A Chinese lawmaker said the ceiling of conscription age should
be raised to recruit outstanding college graduates into the armed
forces.
The existing conscription law stipulates that Chinese male
citizens between 18 and 22 years of age are subject to military
recruitment. In this sense, most college graduates are kept outside
the threshold.
"As more and more youths go to college, the number of recruiting
candidates is decreasing," said Xia He, a deputy to the National
People's Congress, the national legislature, explaining that
students in full-time school education can be exempted from
conscription.
He proposed that relevant clauses of the conscription law be
revised to conform to the current situation, so as to absorb more
outstanding young people into the army.
"The scope of conscription age should be readjusted from 18-22
to 18-25 to draft college graduates, especially those with
expertise," said Xia, who is also a senior officer of China's armed
police.
He said the government should also promulgate policies to
encourage college students and graduates to join the army, allowing
them to continue college studies after their services, exempting or
reducing their tuition, and helping them find jobs after military
service.
(Xinhua News Agency March 13, 2006)